On June 25, Li Guoying, Minister of Water Resources of China, met with Tarique Rahman, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, in Beijing. The two sides held in-depth exchanges on deepening China-Bangladesh water cooperation. Yao Wen, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Anisul Islam Mahmud, Minister of Water Resources of Bangladesh, Nazmul Islam, Bangladeshi Ambassador to China and other officials attended the meeting.
Li Guoying pointed out that guided by President Xi Jinping’s water governance principles of “prioritizing water conservation, balancing spatial distribution, taking systematic approaches and promoting government-market synergy”, China continuously improves the system for flood and drought disaster prevention, accelerates the development of modern water networks, restores the ecological environment of rivers and lakes, advances the development of digital twin water projects, formulates and refines institutional and policy frameworks for water sector, and strengthens institutional, mechanism-based and legal governance of water resources. These efforts have systematically driven high-quality development of water sector and comprehensively boosted the country’s capacity in safeguarding national water security.
Against the backdrop of global climate change, both China and Bangladesh are confronted with common water security challenges related to water disasters, water resources, aquatic ecosystems and water environments. The Ministry of Water Resources of China stands ready to strengthen technical and policy exchangeson water governance with Bangladeshi counterparts. The two sides will expand pragmatic cooperation in areas including water resources planning, river governance, flood control and disaster mitigation, as well as capacity building, exchanges and training, so as to contribute to deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
Tarique Rahman spoke highly of China’s remarkable achievements in water governance and expressed gratitude for the long-term support and assistance provided by China. He expressed the willingness to further learn from China’s water governance philosophies and successful experience, continuously strengthen bilateral water cooperation, so as to help Bangladesh enhance its capacity to tackle water security challenges.
Source: INTCE